Loom reed shifting cam with locking means



April 1967 D. P. BURGESS LOOM REED SHIFTING CAM WITH LOCKING MEANS Filed Aug. 19, 1965 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,315,705 LOOM REED SHIFTING CAM WITH LOCKING MEANS Douglas P. Burgess, Woodleaf, N.C., assignor to Cannon Mills Company, Kannapolis, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Aug. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 480,902 4 Claims. (Cl. 139-26) This invention relates to terry looms and more especially to an improved reed shifting cam which shifts the reed between full and partial beat-up positions relative to the lay and wherein the cam includes locking means that prevents relative movement between the lay and the reed during each full beat-up of the reed against the fell of the cloth.

In my prior application Ser. No. 347,154, filed Feb. 25, 1964, now abandoned, I have disclosed a vertically movable, diagonally slotted cam movable with the lay and movable in a linear path by a terry cam. A pin or follower fixed to the reed is positioned in the slot so the reed is shifted between full and partial beat-up positions relative to the lay during respective movements of the slotted cam in one and the opposite directions along said path. The operation of this arrangement has been satisfactory in some respects but is subject to malfunction when the reed has engaged and pushed against the fell of the cloth. The angular position of the slot relative to the direction of movement of the lay and the reed permits the follower to slide back against the surface of the slot with a consequent displacing of the reed relative to the lay. This prevents the filling yarn from being fully beaten up against the fell of the cloth and results in improperly formed terry loops.

In accordance with the present invent-ion, I have improved upon the reed shifting cam above described by providing a locking means carried by the slotted cam and extending substantially parallel with the linear path of movement of the cam. This locking means is positioned to engage the follower positively and oppose the force of the fell of the cloth acting against the reed during each full beat-up stroke of the reed. With this improved cam arrangement, the follower is prevented from sliding back in the slot under the force of the impact of the reed against the fell and thereby avoids displacing the reed relative to the lay and avoids the formation .of any distorted terry loops. The commercially important result is the product-ion of terry cloth with uniform terry loops.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- FIGURE 1 is a schematic perspective view of a terry motion, as applied to a shuttleless loom, showing the improved reed shifting cam in reed-locking position, but omitting the lay for purposes of clarity; and

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the reed locked in full beat-up position in solid lines and in a back and partial beat-up position in phantom 'lines.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the lay is fixed to swords 11 (only one of which is shown) provided with bearing members 12 on which opposed ends of the upper portion of a shiftable reed 13 are pivotally mounted, as at 14, by means of pivoted arms 15 mounted in fixed relation to opposed ends of reed 13. Ground and terry warps 16 extend through reed 12 and are woven into terry cloth C through cooperation with tape-supported filling carriers, not shown, which insert filling through the warp shed above lay 10, as is well known.

For shifting reed 13 between full and partial beat-up positions relative to lay 10 and in timed relation to operation of the loom, a novel linearly movable reed shifting cam 20 is provided adjacent lay 10 and sword 11. A similar reed shifting cam may be provided adjacent the other sword, not shown. Details of reed shifting cam 20 will be later described.

Substantially vertical linear reciprocatory motion may be imparted to reed shifting cam 20 by any suitable means, such as is disclosed in said copending application, and a modification of which is shown in FIGURE 1. In this arrangement, a terry facecam 21 is driven by the loom, usually at a speed of one revolution to every three or four picks or beat-up strokes of lay 10, to impart vertical reciprocatory movement to the free end of a pivoted follower arm 23. The lower portion of a forwardly biased lever 24 is pivotally mounted on follower arm 23 and is provided with a hook portion 25 which normally engages a pivot abutment 26 on a crank 27 fixed on an intermediate shaft 30.

To permit weaving of non-terry or plain cloth at pres determined intervals, a pattern controlled member or solenoid 31 is so connected to lever 24 that, upon actuation, solenoid 31 moves lever 24 rearwardly to disengage hook portion 25 from abutment 26. This permits continued vertical reciprocation of lever 25 without moving reed 13 relative to lay 10. A crank 31 also is fixed on intermediate shaft and is connected to a substantially upright thrust bar 32 by means of an adjustable connecting rod or link 33.

Thrust bar 32 is guided for linear substantially vertical reciprocation on sword 11 by means of a guide block 35 and a sword rocker shaft 36 on which the lower portions of the swords are mounted. Shaft 36 is engaged and straddled by the two arms of a yoke 37 formed on the lower end of thrust bar 32. The reed shifting cam 20 is in the form of a block which is fixed in the bifurcated upper end of thrust bar 32, as by a screw 40.

position to the phantom line position of FIGURE 2,

reed 13 is shifted rearwardly from full beat-up position to a predetermined partial beat-up position spaced rearwardly of lay 10 so that, with subsequent beat-up strokes of lay 10, two or more loose pick fillings are beaten up by reed 13 in spaced relation from the fell of the cloth. Conversely, downward movement of cam 20 shifts reed 13 forwardly to full beat-up position in close proximity to lay 10 so that a fast pick filling is beaten up against the fell, during the corresponding beat-up stroke of lay 10. Of course, the terry warps are slackened relative to the ground warps during each such fast pick beat-up stroke of lay 10 and reed 13 so as to form terry loops on either or both faces of the clot-h C.

Since reed 13 must engage and push against the fell of the cloth during formation of each fast pick, it is important that the reed is locked against backward move mentrelative to the lay whenever reed 13 occupies full beat-up position. Otherwise, the terry loops will not be of the desired length and loops in successive transverse rows of terry loops maybe of varying length.

Therefore, in order to lock the reed in full beat-up position each time it is moved to such position from a partial beat-up position, reed shifting cam 20 is provided with a locking surface 43 extending substantially parallel with the path of reciprocation of cam 20 and arranged to engage the rear surface of follower 42 upon downward movement of the upper diagonal surface of slot 41 having forced the reed to full beat-up position relative to lay 10. Thus, follower 42 cannot move relative to slot 41 and surface 42 thus prevents relative movement between the reed and the lay during each full beat-up of the reed against the fell, regardless of whether terry weaving or plain weaving is being effected by the loom. To assure smooth transition of follower 42 between the locking surface 43 and the angularly extending cam surfaces defined by opposed side walls of cam slot 41, cam is provided with a slot extension 44 merging with slot 41 and extending substantially parallel with the linear path of reciprocation of cam 20, and wherein locking surface 43 defines the rear wall of slot extension 44.

It is apparent that cam 20 may be arranged to operate in the manner opposite from that described without departing from the spirit of the invention; i.e., slot 41 may extend downwardly from right to left in FIGURE 2 and slot extension 44 then may be located at the front lower end of slot 41, if desired, so reed 13 would be moved from full to partial beat-up positions with each downward movement of cam 20, and from partial to full beat-up positions with each upward movement of cam 20.

In the drawing and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limita tion, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. In a terry loom having an oscillatable lay, a reed, and means for shifting the reed between full and partial beat-up positions relative to the lay including a substantially vertically and linearly reciprocating cam having a diagonal slot therein and a follower fixed to the reed and engaging the slot, the improvement comprising a locking surface formed at one end portion of said slot and extending substantially parallel with the path of reciprocation of said cam and arranged to engage said follower so the follower cannot move transversely relative to the slot cam and to prevent relative movement between the reed and the lay during each full beat-up of the reed against the fell of the cloth being woven.

2. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said cam is provided with a slot extension which defines said locking surface and in which the follower is positioned during each full beat-up stroke of the reed against the fell of the cloth.

3. In a terry loom having an oscillatable lay and a reed shiftable between full and partial beat-up positions relative to the lay; apparatus for shifting said reed between said full and partial beat-up positions and for preventing relative movement between the lay and the reed during each full beat-up of the reed against the fell of the cloth being woven comprising a substantially vertically movable cam movable in a linear path adjacent 5 the reed and having a diagonal slot therein, means for raising and lowering said cam, a follower fixed to the reed for movement therewith and engaging said slot and arranged to shift said reed between full and partial beatup positions during respective movements of said cam in one and the opposite directions along said path, and said cam having a locking surface formed adjacent one end portion of said slot and extending substantially parallel with said path and being engageable by said follower so that said follower cannot move transversely relative to said cam when said cam occupies a position in which the reed is in full beat-up position, to prevent relative movement between the lay and the reed during each full beat-up of the reed against the fell of the cloth being woven.

4. In a terry loom having a lay, a reed, and means carried by the lay and supporting the reed for pivotal movement thereon; apparatus for shifting said reed between full and partial beat-up positions relative to the lay and for preventing relative movement between the lay and the reed during each full beat-up of the reed against the fell of cloth being woven; comprising a reed shifting cam movable with the lay and mounted for linear movement toward and away from the reed, said cam having a diagonal slot therein extending at an angle with respect to the linear path of movement of said cam and relative to the arc of travel of the reed, a follower carried by a portion of the reed spaced from the pivotal axis of the reed and positioned in said slot, and said cam having a locking surface formed at one end portion of said slot and extending substantially parallel with said linear path and engageable with said follower only whenever said reed occupies full beat-up position relative to said lay, said locking surface being positioned to oppose the force of the fell of the cloth acting against the reed during each full beat-up stroke of the reed.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,737,688 12/1929 Ryon 13925 3,213,891 10/1965 Burgess 139-26 FOREIGN PATENTS 610,187 6/1926 France.

15,316 6/1914 Great Britain.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

H. S. JAUDON, Assistant Examiner,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,315,705 April 25, 1967 Douglas P. Burgess at error appears in the above numbered pat- It is hereby certified th that the said Letters Patent should read as ent requiring correction and corrected below.

Column 1, line 67, for "12" read 13 column 2, lines 21 and 22, for "31", each occurrence, read 34 column 3, line 40, strike out "slot"; line 41, after "and", first occurrence, insert thereby Signed and sealed this 1 th day of November 1967.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

1. IN A TERRY LOOM HAVING AN OSCILLATABLE LAY, A REED, AND MEANS FOR SHIFTING THE REED BETWEEN FULL AND PARTIAL BEAT-UP POSITIONS RELATIVE TO THE LAY INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY AND LINEARLY RECIPROCATING CAM HAVING A DIAGONAL SLOT THEREIN AND A FOLLOWER FOXED TO THE REED AND ENGAGING THE SLOT, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A LOCKING SURFACE FORMED AT ONE END PORTION OF SAID SLOT AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH THE PATH OF RECIPROCATION OF 